


The Overseers

by shinysylver



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Developing Relationship, Huxloween, M/M, Mind Control, Negotiations, Parasites, there is a vomiting scene if that bothers you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 06:28:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16279424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysylver/pseuds/shinysylver
Summary: "This ship, the stormtroopers, even the officers are all expendable." Ren frowned at him. "You should be too… but you aren't."When an alien parasite takes over the Finalizer, Kylo finds that losing Hux is unacceptable. No one is more surprised about that than Hux.





	The Overseers

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "parasite/mind control" prompt during Huxloween 2018. I watched The Faculty and read part of The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein while I was writing this fic and they both inspired my take on the alien parasites. 
> 
> Thanks go to huxandthehound for betaing.

"Why are you doing this, Ren?" Hux asked, his voice raw. He twisted his body, trying to pull free of the restraints, but Kylo had secured them well. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me," Kylo answered. He'd locked the door behind him using his codes as Supreme Leader. No one should be able to override them, but just to be safe he used the Force to pile every loose bit of equipment in front of it. He used his mind to tear the consoles away from the wall and pile them up in front of the entrance. It wouldn't hold for long if they were breached, but he'd take all of the time he could get.

"What are you doing to my ship!" Hux yelled.

Kylo stalked back to the interrogation chair. He hadn't used this place since Rey had escaped it and his failure with the Resistance pilot Poe before her. Hopefully he had more success this time.

"I'm trying to save your life, General," Kylo said. "Although I wonder why I bother."

Hux jerked roughly, his restraints rattling. "You call this saving my life?"

"Enough," Kylo snapped. "I won't have you using him as your puppet any longer."

"Ren," Hux said, his voice gentler now. "Who are you talking to? You're confused, but if you just let me out of this chair we can figure it out. Together."

"Stop," Kylo yelled, his temper fraying. He raised his hand and closed it into a fist. Hux's mouth snapped shut at the gesture and no matter how hard he tried to open it again he couldn't.

He leaned close to the chair, staring into Hux's blood shot eyes. "I can feel that you aren't him. Even without the Force I'd know better than to fall for your pale imitation."

The truth was that he _had_ been tricked. He hadn't noticed what was going on around him until it was almost too late. But this thing wearing Hux didn't need to know that.

"What do you want?" He opened his fist to let the creature answer.

"The same thing _he_ wants--order, control, to dominate the Galaxy." Hux tilted his head. "You can join us. Not like him of course, you're not compatible, but we would welcome your help. _He_ would welcome it."

"The Galaxy as ruled by you?" Kylo asked. "A Galaxy full of mindless drones obeying your every whim?"

"Isn't that what your Order wants?"

"Perhaps," Kylo acknowledged. "But _I'll_ be the one to rule it."

Kylo jerked his hand up and Hux was forced against the back of the chair. His expression morphed into a twisted grin, his teeth pink with blood. "It doesn't matter. You're one man against a legion. It's too late to save him now."

The creature started laughing, a hideous, hysterical sound that wasn't even close to the quiet chuckle Kylo had been lucky enough to hear from Hux a few times in the past.

"Don't count on that." Kylo placed his palm on Hux's forehead, throwing his consciousness into his mind. "Hux is mine."

**

It was dark, so dark, but Kylo wasn't afraid of darkness. He lived in darkness. "Hux?"

His voice echoed through the cavernous space. He'd never delved this deeply into Hux's mind before, usually only brushing the surface, but he knew this was unusual. Hux was many things--controlled, insecure, smolderingly angry--but never empty.

Despite being inside Hux's mind Kylo couldn't sense his consciousness. As he stretched out with the Force all he found was the hostile thoughts of the alien. It was a foreign thing, more insect than human and it had nearly subsumed Hux entirely, but he refused to believe it was too late.

Kylo picked a direction and began walking, methodically casting his thoughts out into the Force trying to pick up anything that spoke of Hux instead of the alien. Time had no meaning here and he didn't know how long he wandered before he finally sensed the slightest whisper of Hux calling out through the endless chittering thoughts of the parasite.

Kylo focused in on that tiny hint of Hux and followed the thread until the darkness gave way to a dim light. He squinted because even though it was more metaphor than reality, it still burned his eyes.

The light illuminated a grotesque green creature, throbbing with an inhuman pulse in the center of what appeared to be the Finalizer's bridge. The creature looked like a slug, but with long jellyfish-like tentacles that stretched out in every direction and appeared to have bored into the walls and floor.

Standing in front of the viewport at rigid attention was Hux. His eyes were fixed on the window, seemingly unaware of Kylo. The parasite's tentacles were wrapped around his body and one large, pulsing one had dug into the back of his neck.

"Hux?" Kylo asked taking a tentative step forward.

Hux didn't acknowledge him at all, but the creature grew restless its tentacles reaching out toward Kylo. One of them managed to encircle his leg, but he imagined his lightsaber in his hand and it immediately appeared even brighter and more deadly than it was in the real world. He sliced through the appendage, freeing himself, and moved closer to Hux.

As much as he wanted to just let loose with his sword and destroy the invader, he knew that that wouldn't be enough. This was Hux's mind and while he might have power here he didn't have dominion. Hux would have to expel the creature himself. It was the only way to ensure that Hux's mind would remain intact.

Kylo stepped in front of Hux and grabbed his face, tilting it so that he was had no choice but to look at Kylo. "Snap out of it!"

**

"Hux?"

Hux barely heard the word. It was soft and distant, but even so it managed to cut through the silence. After a lifetime of nothing but pain and chaos the silence had been a relief, but as always, any peace Hux managed to find was destroyed by Kylo Ren. The man had no respect for anyone or anything and took particular pleasure in harassing Hux.

He was vaguely aware of the outside world, able to observe what was happening from a distance, but it no longer concerned him. That was now the realm of the Overseer. It had assured him that the Order would conquer the Galaxy and that he would live to see a new empire rise. That had been enough.

Hux was aware of Ren's misguided attempt to rescue him. It had been wholly unexpected considering the casual nature of their relationship. After all, the man had killed his own father and his master for power. Hux had no idea why he'd bother rescuing his occasional hook-up.

The Overseer had offered Ren a place at its side. Hux had assumed that would be enough to placate him--at least until the Resistance fell and the Jedi girl was finally destroyed.

"Snap out of it!"

Hux felt a dull pain in his cheek and Ren's voice echoing throughout mind. His presence was everywhere, invading every corner of his consciousness. Ren's entire being was a chaotic cacophony and Hux was tired.

All he wanted was the silence back and he struggled to shake off the foggy blanket in his mind just long enough to end Ren's foolishness. "Shut up."

"No."

Hux blinked at Ren. His mind coming online for the first time in days. "Why must you be so loud?"

"Loud?" Ren repeated incredulously. "Look around you General. Your mind is invaded, your army conquered, and all you want is quiet?"

Hux gestured at the viewport where the he could see the real world. He may be locked inside of his mind, but the Overseer had granted him his desire to witness the fulfillment of his life's work. "Our ship is running at peak performance, not a single person is diverging from our goal. The Resistance will fall and the Order will become a new empire. What more do you want?"

"Are you really content to let these creatures rule in your stead?"

Hux laughed bitterly. "What does it matter if I serve their whims or yours? I was never going to rule, Ren. At least this way the empire will rise again."

"I never took you for a coward," Ren said with disgust. "You never were before."

"This isn't about bravery. This is me picking my battles," Hux responded. "The real question is why did _you_ choose this one?"

"This ship, the stormtroopers, even the officers are all expendable." Ren frowned at him. "You should be too… but you aren't."

Hux rolled his eyes. The longer he talked to Ren the more he felt like his old self, which mostly meant frustrated. "Is that supposed to be romantic?"

"Enough." Ren grabbed Hux by the shoulders and pulled him in for a fierce kiss.

The tentacle in his neck had no room to give so it pulled at him painfully. He felt like the rope in a game of tug of war, stretched between two unforgiving masters.

Ren pulled back just enough to glare at him. "You're mine. The Order is mine. These creatures can't have what's mine."

"I'm not your possession." Hux pushed Ren away. "I know it's hard for you to understand, but this isn't about you."

"You'll be my second-in-command," Ren said. "And you _will_ rule, second only to me. The Galaxy will bow before you. But you can only have that if you fight now."

Hux's eyes widened. "You're serious."

"The idea of losing you is unacceptable."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Ren glanced out of the viewport. "We don't have time for this. The ship will be destroyed and us with it if you persist in being difficult."

Hux narrowed his eyes at Ren. "What did you do?"

"What I had to." He offered Hux his lightsaber. "It has to be you. I'll be waiting."

As soon as Hux took the saber, Ren disappeared.

**

Kylo stumbled as he returned to his own body, The mental projection and had left him exhausted, but he couldn't give into that. Not yet. Not when Hux was still unconscious and he could sense the infected stormtroopers coming ever closer in their methodical search of the ship.

He leaned over Hux, and gently tapped his cheek. "Hux, wake up. Come on!"

Leaving Hux alone in there had been a gamble, but he hoped that he'd done enough to persuade him.

After a few interminable minutes, Hux's eyes fluttered open and he jerked forward, struggling against the restraints. He gasped out. "Ren, I'm going to be sick."

Kylo threw the bindings off with the Force and helped Hux lean forward. He vomited a disgusting green mass. Although much smaller, it was identical to the creature that had been in his mind right down to the still wriggling jellyfish-like tendrils.

Kylo could sense the thing's consciousness reaching out desperately for a host. He drew his lightsaber and stabbed it through the center, holding his sword in place until all trace of the thing was eliminated from the Force.

That taken care of, he turned his attention back to a still retching Hux. He was expelling thick gobs of mucus that had likely sustained the creature.

Kylo didn't have water or a clean cloth or anything helpful. Instead he reached out a tentative hand and rested it on the back of Hux's neck, extending a soothing sensation through the Force. It was all he had to offer, but it seemed to help.

Hux finally shuddered to a stop and reached out blindly for Kylo's robe, gripping it tightly. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Hux's panicked gaze met Kylo's. "Too much."

He started shaking and Kylo lifted him out of the chair and away from the remains of the parasite. Once he was back on his feet, Hux clung to him like a scared child and while Kylo wasn't without sympathy they didn't have time for this.

"General," Kylo said, his voice sharp, hoping to cut through Hux's panic. "The ship has been invaded. What should we do?"

Hux took a deep, shaky breath and straightened up. "The alien… parasite?" Kylo nodded and Hux continued with only a slight tremble to his voice. "Has it taken over the entire crew?"

"I'm afraid so," Kylo said. "I don't sense any other survivors."

"Very, well." Kylo could see Hux's confidence returning as he thought through the situation. "I assume that you are unable to replicate my rescue?"

"You were the only person worth rescuing," Kylo said bluntly. "And the only one with enough fight left. The others are little more than automatons."

"Very well," Hux said. "We need to find the nearest shuttle and disable the rest. It won't do for any of the Overseers to survive. Then we need to find a way to destroy the ship and--" He stopped abruptly narrowed his eyes at Kylo. "But you already knew all of that. Are you managing me?"

"It's good you agree with my assessment," Kylo said, avoiding the accusation. "There is one functional shuttle left. I suggest we board it quickly. This ship will be crashing into a red giant very soon."

**

"That was too close for comfort," Hux said as they watched the Finalizer enter the star. "How long were you in my mind?"

Ren shrugged.

"You could have died trying to rescue me."

"But I didn't." Ren's eyes were focused on the destruction in front of him and Hux got the impression he was purposely avoiding looking at him.

"How did you know I'd follow you?"

Ren's mouth twisted into a wry grin. It was an ugly thing, more grimace than smile. "I played the odds. Apparently I'm more like my father than I realized."

Ren never spoke of his life before the Order and Hux was surprised to hear him do so now. Perhaps their relationship really did run deeper than he'd thought.

Ren finally looked at Hux. "Don't make me regret it."

"I believe that's my line." Hux looked up at the exploding remnants of his flagship. He'd taken a gamble too, choosing to believe in Ren for the first time ever. The Overseer had offered a comforting, orderly certainty unlike Ren's impulsive and chaotic promises. It hadn't been an easy choice. "I expect you to keep your promise."

"Grand Vizier," Ren said. "When our new empire rises, you will be the new Grand Vizier."

An excited thrill went through Hux at the idea of that much power. However, knowing Ren he needed to be very clear. "Part of that role was being the Emperor's assistant. I would gladly run the day to day operations of the empire, but I refuse to answer to your every whim."

"We can negotiate the particulars later," Ren said dismissively. He plugged in the coordinates to meet up with the rest of their fleet before turning his attention back to Hux. "The position of Imperial Consort needs to be filled as well."

Hux felt himself blush and stood up quickly hoping that Ren didn't notice. "That is a conversation for another day. I'm going to get some rest."

Ren's quiet laughter followed him out of the cockpit and all the way to the shuttle's one small bed. As much as he wanted to be mad, he found the way the sound broke the silence to be oddly comforting. He'd had enough silence. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [shinysylver!](http://shinysylver.tumblr.com/)


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